Chapter 345

Inside the cave, a pile of examination crystals, like a small mountain, glowed under the firelight.

"Fifty thousand? That many?" Xu Jingming was stunned.

He himself had only around a thousand examination crystals.

Most of them were loot collected from defeating other psychic teams.

"This entry into the No. 9 Civilization Ruin was specifically meant to ensure I receive the best reward."

"So the Tianyu Daochang team periodically hands over the examination crystals to me."

Sakura Rin gently brushed a strand of hair aside and spoke softly.

In reality, if I hadn't been taken away during this last stretch, I could've acquired another twenty thousand or so from other teams.

"No wonder Sakura Nation's largest faction—this efficiency is truly exceptional."

"But in the end, it all ended up benefiting me..."

Amid murmurs of amazement, Xu Jingming happily stowed the pile of examination crystals into his space ring.

Now, both his talent and examination crystals were fully maximized.

If I still don't get the best reward after this, it would be unreasonable.

It has to be said that the volume of over fifty thousand evaluation crystals is simply too large.

Fortunately, after two months of supplies being consumed, the space ring's interior had cleared out considerably, or it wouldn't have fit at all.

"Alright, enter the Shikigami Space to rest. Tomorrow, we head to the main base." Xu Jingming ordered after securing the crystals.

"Yes, Master."

Sakura Rin nodded obediently, and a gray portal instantly opened beside her.

Her slender figure stepped into it and vanished.

"The Shikigami Space is truly a wondrous existence."

Though he'd seen Sakura Rin enter the Shikigami Space more than once, Xu Jingming couldn't help but marvel.

The Special S-Class Psychic Ability "Shikigami Awakening" is less a summoning ability.

More accurately, it's a fusion of mental and spatial psychic abilities.

"Come to think of it, with Lei Long's Wings, I've gained some minor control over wind elements."

"Does that make me a dual-element psychic—thunder and wind?"

Xu Jingming pondered silently.

Of course, his ability still paled compared to true wind-element psychics.

"I'll wait until I reach a higher rank—this ability might improve then."

Shaking his head, Xu Jingming didn't dwell on it and activated the power button on his smart bracer:

"Eva, tomorrow we head to the main base of the No. 9 Civilization Ruin. I'm counting on you for the ancient script analysis."

Since his pact with Sakura Rin, Xu Jingming always turned Eva off when she was present.

His explanation for the previous incident was simple: Sakura Rin lied—there was no reverse pact.

He'd used his trump card and escaped before they could catch him.

It was a plausible enough explanation; whether the Mada high command believed it was none of his concern.

"Eva received. S-Class, rest assured—I know everything related to ancient scripts!"

Eva's playful voice came through his earpiece.

"Good."

Nodding, Xu Jingming sat cross-legged on the ground, slowly closing his eyes into a light sleep state.

The entire ruin's map resembled a rectangle.

At one end of this rectangular map stood a completely black structure.

The building, shaped like a warehouse, stood over thirty meters tall and over a hundred meters wide!

On its front face, an ancient script inscribed the number "9."

This was the main base of the No. 9 Civilization Ruin—where the examination rewards would be claimed.

At this moment, with half an hour left until the exam ended, the main base had not yet opened.

Yet the open ground outside the main base was already crowded with teams.

Tianyu Daochang, Lei Ting Martial Arts, Bao Xiong Martial Arts, and other foreign factions had all arrived.

"Only thirty-four minutes left until the main base opens—where's Su Chen?"

Qin Zheng, glancing at the countdown in the sky, frowned slightly, unable to suppress his worry.

The ruin's dangers were too numerous—even a team led by two sixth-rank instructors couldn't guarantee safety.

How much less so for Su Chen, a lone wolf with only fifth-rank mid-level combat power?

Any encounter with a sixth-rank beast could mean certain death.

"I hope he's lucky enough not to be that unlucky." At this point, Qin Zheng could only hope.

Soon, more than ten minutes passed as more psychic teams arrived one after another.

Just as Qin Zheng was still worried, he finally spotted Su Chen's familiar figure among the newcomers.

"Su Chen's here!"

"A lone wolf surviving two months? Not bad."

"Huh? He's still fifth-rank upper, but his aura feels much stronger than before?"

"..."

Seeing Su Chen appear, Lin Hui and others whispered among themselves.

Call him a monster who only hunts beasts, call him a bold lone wolf—

Surviving two months in this ruin proved his strength.

Look: dozens of lone wolves entered the ruin; now, fewer than ten remain.

Even Xia Lan and the others noticed: compared to before, Su Chen's aura had grown significantly stronger—he'd made substantial progress.

"Wait here for a moment—I'll go over there."

Seeing Xu Jingming arrive, Qin Zheng's eyes lit up. He dropped those words and hurried over.

Wang Hong, the instructor from Bao Xiong Martial Arts, followed right behind him.

"After two months, every faction has suffered losses."

On the other side, Xu Jingming's gaze swept the scene and noticed far fewer people than before entering the ruin.

Originally, there were over three hundred; now, fewer than two hundred remained.

Most of those missing were lone wolves; even Sakura Nation's Tianyu Daochang and other foreign factions had lost several teams.

Still, he was relieved: Kong Shi, Wu Yuan, Shen Dongling, and others from Mada still bore wounds but had suffered no casualties.

Also worth noting:

Due to Sakura Rin's disappearance, the entire Tianyu Daochang team—over eighty strong—

showed no sign of relaxation despite nearing reward collection and return. Instead, every member was tense.

They scrutinized every psychic who arrived, eyes wide, as if ready to devour them.

Xu Jingming himself received some scrutiny upon arrival, likely because he was only fourth-rank upper.

After a few glances, Tianyu Daochang's members stopped paying attention.

"Young Master Su, long time no see."

As Xu Jingming observed his surroundings, Qin Zheng from Lei Ting Martial Arts appeared before him with a broad smile:

"I think you've misunderstood our Lei Ting Martial Arts' Elite Training Camp—I'd like to explain..."

As one of Daxia's top martial arts schools, even renowned across the Blue Planet, Lei Ting Martial Arts had its pride.

Usually, if a genius refused their Elite Training Camp invitation, they wouldn't invite again.

But Su Chen wasn't an ordinary genius—

With fourth-rank upper rank, he displayed fifth-rank mid-level combat power, proving his terrifying potential.

For such a prodigy, Qin Zheng was more than willing to humble himself and repeatedly extend invitations.

Yet before Qin Zheng finished speaking, he saw Xu Jingming nod with a smile:

"Teacher Qin, no need to say more—I agree to join your Lei Ting Martial Arts entrance exam."

He'd refused at first because he feared being pulled into their team and disrupting his efficiency in harvesting psychic points.

Now, with departure from the ruin imminent, that concern vanished—he could simply accept.

After all, once back in Daxia, he'd reveal his true identity.

"Huh?! You agreed already?"

Wang Hong, the Bao Xiong Martial Arts instructor who had followed Qin Zheng, stood frozen.

What?

Just moments ago you refused so firmly—why agree so easily now?

I haven't even opened my mouth yet—has Bao Xiong Martial Arts been eliminated already?